Liberty in Phuket? Never fear — ‘ladyboys’ under control
February 2nd, 2010 | Carriers Life at Sea merchant ships The Pacific | Posted by Phil Ewing
The carrier Nimitz and its strike group pulled into Phuket, Thailand this week, where "ladyboys" are less of a problem, according to local reports // MC1 David Mercil / Navy
We turn again to our favorite Thai newspaper, the Phuket Wan, which has been covering this week’s port visit of the carrier Nimitz as only it could. When last we left Phuket and its great online daily, the site was covering the plague of “ladyboys” — yes, they’re what they sound like — who were attacking sailors during a visit by the carrier Ronald Reagan. That’s bad for business in a tourist town like Phuket, so authorities have worked to get the problem under control:
Local police are expected to take measures to ward off the counter-invasion of katoey ladyboys that has greeted the increasing number of visits by American warships recently… Security is expected to be increased but there have been no incidents so far as the US Navy opts to make Phuket its favorite stopping off spot in South East-Asia.
And the visiting crews won’t just be sampling Phuket’s… ah… nightlife, according to another report; sailors from the frigate Rentz and the destroyer Pinckney are scheduled to paint classrooms and help out at a city school.
There’s more — the Nimitz Strike Group won’t have the spotlight in Phuket all to itself for very long, as the Wan (which means “day”) put it:
A huge nuclear powered aircraft carrier, one of the world’s biggest warships, is difficult to upstage. But a star performer just as impressive and even more grand is due to arrive at Phuket on Wednesday, when the cruise liner Queen Mary 2 docks.
Sure, QM2 is a beauty, but there is definitely something to be said for haze gray, too.
Comments
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Lon He'bert, RM2(SW), USN, RET Says:
February 2nd, 2010 at 5:25 pmIn 1988 while I was on USS ROANOKE AOR-7 we had just out chopped with the carl vinson. we were relieved by the Nimitz battle group. we then headed to paytayya beach thailand. had a good time man did me and my best friend must of tried to drink the the town dry.